Health Information Professionals Week is March 25th through the 31st. Fisher currently offers an Associate's degree in Health Information Technology as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management degree with a concentration in Health Information Technology. Fisher HIT alumni contribute to the health information field in a variety of ways, including Christopher Rushbrooke

'10. Chris is the Technical Coding Advisor for Partners HealthCare System, Inc., whose hospitals and community health centers serve hundreds of thousands of patients each year. He lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and plans to go back to school to earn a master's degree in health informatics. His story was highlighted in the Fisher Today's Fall/Winter 2011 edition.

I held a lot of jobs after graduating college and I was moderately successful at selling shoes, pianos, and furniture. But I tired of retail and wanted to go back to school. To pay my tuition, I held a part-time job at a pediatrician's office. I was processing insurance claims and other technical items. This was my first exposure to the health care industry and I was intrigued.

While working in billing at Fenway Community Health Center, a colleague suggested I look into medical coding. She said it was lucrative. I investigated several schools and settled on Fisher. In fact, my boss at the time, Carlos Vaquerano '04, told me that he thoroughly enjoyed his experience at the College.

I remain impressed with and appreciative of all that Fisher did for me. The professor-student interactions through Fisher Online were phenomenal. The Blackboard learning system encouraged me to perform better and reminded me that exactness in writing is critical. I think back to my professors and know that career advancement is about two things – networking and mentorship. Fisher provided both, for which I am grateful.

Receiving the Student Achievement Award was unexpected and was the perfect capstone to all of the work I had put

into my studies. [Editor: Chris was the 2010 recipient of the Massachusetts Health Information Management Association's (MaHIMA) prestigious annual award.] The Award inspired me to give back – something I had never done before – and

I now volunteer as MaHIMA's Website Content Editor. I am amazed at the speed of change in the industry. Health care is going digital, and everything is moving so quickly as far as system integration. My colleagues and I are constantly challenged – and finding new solutions – to improve coding processes and clinical documentation so our service is top-notch. What we all need to remember, though, is that health care, even on the technical side, is about people. We are all better when the system is humane and compassionate.